Raymond p



Patented .im 2s, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,633,704 PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND P. LANSING, OP IONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T ECLIPSE MACHINE COMPANY, OF ELIIRA, NEW YORK, CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

IGNITION APPARATUS.

animation ma umn 17, 1924. sei-iai No. 699,834.

This invention relates to ignition systems adapted for use with internal combustion engines and its purpose is to provide improved means for advancing and retarding 6 the spark in such a system. The principal object of the invention is to provide ignition apparatus in which the spark is advanced or retarded by rotating the distributor head and breaker mechanism with respect to the driving shaft. The rotation of the distributor head and breaker mechanism has heretofore been accomplished b rotating the outer casing carr ingthe distributor head in its bearing in t e crank case or other support but the looseness of the bearing which must be provided for this adjustment results in inaccuracy and other defects in the operation of the mechanism because of the resulting instability of the casing, cam shaft anddistributor head. These defects are overcome in the present invention by providing a fixed bearing for the driving shaft, which extends into the casin of the unit, and' rotating the casing and its distributor head upon the fixed bearing or sleeve. This improvement not onl rovides a fixed bearing for the cam sha t ut makes it possible to provide and maintain a stable support for the casing. Other advantages and objects of the invention will appear more clearly hereinafter. The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying draw in which one embodiment is illustrated. n the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a top lan viewof the distributor mechanism wit the distributor head and rotor removed; Fig. 2 showsa vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the mounting of the distributor casing on its support.

The improved breaker distributor unit shown in the accompanying drawings is adapted for use with a six cylinder engine, the ignition circuit of which is controlled by the operation of a breaker arm 18 provided with a cam follower 19 arranged to contact with the peripheral surface of a cam 20 mounted on the cam shaft hereinafter described. The end of the breaker arm 18 carries a contact 21 which is adaptedto engage a stationary contact 22 mounted on the stationary terminal plate 23. This plate 23 is connected to the ground and a condenser 26,-mounted preferably on the distributor casing, ask shown in Fig. 1, is connected around the contacts 21 and 22 for the purpose of absorbing the spark and providing the circuit with the proper capacity in relation to its inductance. As the cam 2O rotates dur- 00 ing the o eration of the engine, the primary circuit 0 the ignition system is intermittently opened and closed by the projections of the cam, thereby resulting in the creation of a current iii the usual secondary circuit, 65 which current is distributed to the spark plugs of the different cylinders of the. en ine by means of the rotor 31. One terminafl of the secondary winding of the ignition system is. connected to a brush29 which bears on the 70 distributor plate 30 of the rotor 31 and this plate 30 is adapted to distribute the secondary current to the contact points 32 of the distributor head 33.' These contact points 32 are connected by conductors 25 to the spark 75 plugs of the en ine cylinders.

The breakeristributor unit which is used with the system referred to above is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It comprises a metallic casing 40 having a detachable bot 80 tom wall 41 and the integral top wall 42 which serves as a breaker platform. The casing 40 is mounted on a sleeve or bearing member 43 which is adapted to be fixed rigidly in the crank case 44 of the engine by a5 means oi a setscrew 45, or other suitable means. A drive shaft 46 is journaled in bushings'47 mounted in the sleeve 43 and the upper end of this shaft is recessed to form a bearing for the lower end of the cam shaft 48. The upper end of the cam shaft is journaled in a roller bearing 49 Secured in a housing 50 formed in the upper wall 42 of the casing. The cam 20 for controlling the i ition circuit is mounted on the upper en of the caml shaft, being secured thereon by means of a set screw 51 which engages a recess in the upper end of the shaft. The set screw 51 has a tapered head 51* adapted to co-act with the correloo spondingly inclined wall of the recess in the shaft. The wall of the recess is slotted on opposite sides as shown at 52 to form four tongues 53 .which are spread out by the inclined head of the set screw so that the cam is secured rigidly on the cam shaft. The cam is provided with an upper part 54 reduced diameter which engages the hub 55 ot the rotor 31, one side of the part 54 being flattened to co-act with the correspending contour of the inner wallof the hub so that a driving engagement is formed between the rotor and the ram. The rotor is formed of insulating material and a distributor plate 30 is secured thereon by means ot a rivet 56. As the rotor travels around within the distributor head 33, which is mounted on top of the casing 40, the end ot' the plate SUpasses in proximity to each of the contact points 32 ot' the distributor head, thereby distributing the secondary current to the engine cylinders. Connections are made to the Contact points through terminal plugs 58 and a central plug 59 is provided for making a connection with the brush 29 which is maintained in engagement with the distributor plate 3l) by means ot a spring 60.

The. breaker arm t8 preferably has the angular orm illustrated in Fig.- 1. lt is mounted on a pivot 6l extending upwardly from the upper wall 42 of the casing and the cam follower 19 carried thereby is maintained in engagement with the peripheral surface of the cam by means of a spring 62 connected to the arm 18 and reversely bent around the pin 6l with its outer end secured to a post 63 carried by the wall 42. The post 63 extends downwardly through the wall 42, being insulated therefrom by a bushing 64 and the lower end of the post is connected by an insulated plate 65 with the terminal 66 which extends outwardly through the wall of the casing 40, being` suitably insulated therefrom; The electrical connection to the breaker arm is made through the terminal 66 and, as the cam 20 rotates, the circuit is completed through the contacts 21 and Q2 to the adjustable terminal 67 carried by the plate 23. This plate is mounted on the insulating plate 68 carried on the wall 42. The condenser 26 may preferably be mounted in a recess 69 in the Side of the casing.

For the purpose of securing an automatic advance of the spark during the operation of the engine by changing the relative positions of the cam and rotor with respect to the drive shaft, means are provided for automatically rotating the cam shaft with respect to the drive shaft 46. For this pur pose the shaft 46 has a plate 70 secured to the upper part thereof and two weights 71, of aminated construction, are pivotally mounted on this plate on pins 72. A cross bar 73 is secured to the cam shaft between the outer laminations of the weights 7l and the eut-er ends of this cross bar are pivotally connected by links 74- to pins 75 which are secured to the weights and which extend downwardly through -elon ated openings 76 in the lower plate 70. T e lower ends of these pins 7 5 are connected by coil sprin s to other pins 7 8 which are secured te t e plate 70. These springs tend normally to hold the weights 71 in their inner positions, but as the speed of the engine increases the weights move outwardly by centrifugal force about the pins 'T2 to an extent which is lim` ited by the elongated slots T6 engaged by the pins T. As the speed decreases, the springs TT return the weights toward .their inner positions. As the weights more outwardly the links T4 turn the cross bar and thus ro` tate the cum shaft with respect to the drive shaft to elli-ct an advance of thc spark and, when the weights more inwardly, the Spark is retarded.

'l`he manual advance ol' the spark which is t ell'ected by rotating the casipg and the distributor head with respect to the fixed bearings 43, as heretofore indicated, is brought about through an adjustable connection bef tween the lower wall 4l of the casing and the upper portion of the sleeve or bearing 43. 'lhe member 43 is provided at its upper end with an annular liange 8() which engages the upper surface ot' the wall 4l. A washer 8l is mounted around the shaft 46 above the flange 8l) and a spacing collar 82 is mounted between this washer and the plate heretofore described. The lower wall 41 of the casing is maintained in contact with the flange 80 by means of an annular spring washer 84 which is located on the under side ot the casing and concaved downwardly from its upper side with the central depressed portion thereof engagine a collar 85 which is mounted around the sleeve 43 and secured in position thereon by means of a split locking ring 86 seated in complementary depressions formed in the collar 85 and in the member 43. The spring washer 84 maintains a close frictional engagement of the lower wall 4l with the member 43 and the annular ange 80 so that the casin 40 and the distributor head are maintaine a stable position on their support but the wall 41 is capable of being moved between the flange 80 and the spring washer 84 when the casing 40 is turned through suitable operating connections extending to the arm 87 which projects laterally from the lower part thereof, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The extent of this'angular movement is limited by a pin 88 which extends upwardly from the wall 41 to engage a notch 89 formed in the flange 80. When the casing 40 and the distributor head are turned, the spark is advanced or retarded due 'YI-1. the change in the position of the contact point-s of the dis-- tributor head and of the breaker arm cary ried b the up er wall of the casing.

Alt ough I ave shown and described one form of the invention for purposes of illus tration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments without departing trom the. scape of the ep nended claims.

`tending through the wail of said casing, said sleeve having an annular flange engaging the inner surface of said WML-and an annu lar resilient member secured to said sleeve and engaging-the outer surface of said Wall l opposite saidiiange.

2. A breaker-distributor unit comprisingv a casi-nga supporting sleeve mounted in fixed position and extending through a Wall.

of said casing, said sleeve having an annular flange engaging the inner surface ofv said wall, asprmg washer extending around said e sleeve'and engaging the outer surface of saidv wail opposite said flange, and means inciuding a locking ring for detachably securing said spring washer in position.

3. A breaker-distributor unit comprising a casing, a supporting sleeve vmounted in fixed position and extending through a wail of said casing, said sleeve havin an annular flange engaging they inner sur ace of said wail, a spring washer extending around said sleeve and engaging the outei` surface of said wallv opposite said fiange, means including a looking ring for detachably securing said spring washer in position, a drivinggshaft Y extending upwardly through said sleeve, and

circuit-interrupting and current-distributing mechanism carried by ysaid casing and actuated by said shaft.

RAYMOND P. LANSING. 

